


The Dragonfly Princess

by shadowkatninjawarrior



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Mentions of Rape, No Smut, Torture, not graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-26 05:56:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4992889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowkatninjawarrior/pseuds/shadowkatninjawarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader is a member of the BAU who is kidnapped by an Unsub. The reader is presented as female.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Into The Undergrowth.

**Author's Note:**

> What is this? IDK. It's super random and not good but whatever. Hope you guys like it.

Another city, another case. The jet is already in the air by the time that JJ begins handing out the case folders.   
"Six women abducted, killed and dumped. The latest of which was found yesterday. As you can see from the pictures, he has a very specific type."   
You flip open the folder to find... Yourself, staring back at you. Well, nearly. Same hair colour, cut and eye colour. The only difference is the scars marring your face compared to the smooth skin in the photos.  
"They were all found dumped in the woods, mutilated. Each of them had cuts all over their bodies and signs of sexual assault. They each have writing in pen on seemingly random parts of their bodies, though they have yet to make any sense of it."  
"It's interesting that his type includes eye colour." Reid muses. "Hair colour is a classic common type between victims but eye colour suggests he is recreating a very specific person over and over again."  
Prentiss nods slowly. "It could also explain the irregular time frame of the abductions. He has to wait until he can find the perfect woman."  
You jump in to voice your ideas. "He seems to be getting sloppier with some of these latest victims, taken less care. Perhaps he's beginning to realise they will never be perfect?"   
"That makes sense. Unsubs like these tend to devolve as time goes on." Morgan adds, looking down at the pictures. "You know, these look a whole lot like you (L/N)."  
"Yeah. Weird isn't it?"  
Hotch looks up at you. "You should be extra vigilant (L/N). You could easily become a target for this Unsub."  
"Yes sir." You give a short nod.  
"Right, when we get there I want you and Prentiss at the scene where the latest body was found. Reid, you start work on deciphering whether the writing means anything. Dave, I want you and Morgan to go to where she was abducted from. JJ and I will start by talking to the head of the police department." Everyone agrees easily. "Garcia is looking into any possible connection between these victims, aside from appearance."   
The rest of the flight is spent putting together the most comprehensive profile you can from the information you have.   
The ride from the airport to the scene is a short one and you meet up with the park rangers and uniforms at the scene. They can't tell you anything that wasn't in the report, so the you and Prentiss follow two of the park rangers out to where the body was discovered.   
"Away from the trail, hidden in a gorse bush. It's likely he wanted to come back and relive the crime until he could take a new victim." Prentiss surveys the scene, making her observation.   
You go straight to the gorse bush. "There's very little blood here, she was most likely dead a little while before being placed in here." You crawl into the bush, careful of the thorns. "This has been cut back recently to create a sort of cave in here. That suggests an element of care or remorse. This is almost a natural tomb for her. Was it the same for each victim?" There's silence from outside the gorse. "Guys?"  
One of the rangers pipes up, "Uh... We don't know. I don't think anyone thought to look for that."   
"Right. Could someone take me to the other dump sites at some point?"   
"Sure, we can do that. It'll have to be later though."  
You begin to crawl out of the gorse tomb but your hair gets snagged. You reach up and try to unhook yourself but that just makes it worse. The more you struggle the worse it seems to get.  
"Uh... Prentiss? A little help?"   
"What?"  
"I'm... Well I'm stuck." You can hear the park rangers snickering. Well at least someone is getting something out of this frankly ridiculous situation. Emily comes over and attempts to free you, but that also makes it worse. Eventually you are freed from your spiky hair prison, by this point the three of them are practically crying with laughter. Your hair is an absolute bird's nest, you're pretty sure there are a few twigs in there somewhere. You stand with as much dignity as you can muster, admittedly that isn't a whole lot.  
"I think we've learnt all we can from this scene." You walk purposefully back up towards the cars. A few uniforms give you strange looks but you ignore them. You just climb in to the passenger seat of the customary BAU black SUV, Prentiss is the one with the keys. She climbs in and with one more amused look at your hair, the two of you head back to the precinct to convene with the others.


	2. A Walk In The Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit more serious than the last one.

Rossi and Morgan have finished with the abduction site and are at the morgue so you report your findings. He raises an eyebrow at your appearance but lets it go once you've assured him you're fine. He informs you that Garcia has been unable to come up with any connection whatsoever. Afterwards you go to see if Spencer has gotten anywhere with the writing.  
"How's it going in here?"  
Spencer has his head down, staring at something. "I haven't managed to find any sort of pattern so far..." He looks up at you. "What happened to you?"  
"Oh, I had a fight with a gorse bush."  
Spencer is far too used to your particular brand of humour to bother questioning it.  
"Want me to take a look?" You point to the folder.  
"Sure. Couldn't hurt."  
You walk around and stand behind Spencer, leaning over his shoulder to get a look at it.  
"Huh."  
"What is it?" Spencer turns his head towards you and his closeness is threatening to take your breath away. Your raging crush on this ridiculously wonderful man is really beginning to impair your judgement.  
"I think... I think I might know what this is." You grab a copy of the words and sit down at the table spreading them out in front of you. "It was my favourite story..."  
"(Y/N), what are you talking about."  
"Okay, so, when I was little my favourite book was a fairytale, called the dragonfly princess. There was a princess who gets captured by an evil warlock and turned into a dragonfly because he was jealous of her father's kingdom. No one knows how to find her but then the warlock sends the king a message saying where to find her and how to turn her back. The only problem is that the message is encrypted and no one knows how to solve it. Eventually a prince from a neighbouring kingdom manages to decipher it and realises it was meant for him all along. The warlock had enchanted it so only the princess's true love would be able to solve it. So, he goes on a quest and saves her. Any way, the point is the message looked like this. The book described how to decode it but I don't remember. I never understood it."  
"We need to find a copy of that book. I'll get Garcia on it now."  
You go out into the main room to tell Hotch you had a lead on the writing. He seems swamped, so you wait to the side. Just then, one of the park rangers from earlier approaches you.  
"I can take you out to see where the other bodies were discovered now before it gets dark." You look to the others but they all seem busy. You can't even see Prentiss, Morgan or Rossi.  
"Ma'am?"  
You turn back to him. "Yeah, lets get going." Spencer can update Hotch.  
The road gets progressively more bumpy the further into the forest you get. During the drive you send a text to Spencer telling him you're off to look at the crime scenes. The car stops and you look over to the ranger.  
"We've gotta walk from here unfortunately."  
"Alright." You get out, pulling your jacket closer around you against the chilly afternoon air. It's later than you'd realised, not quite beginning to get dark yet though.  
"Follow me ma'am."  
You start after him at a good pace. "I never got your name by the way."  
"Oh, I'm David Corrain."  
"(Y/N L/N). Been a ranger long?"  
"Nearing a year now."  
"Huh."  
"Here it is. This is the first dump site that was found." He points to a seemingly nondescript patch of bush.  
"Impressive. I would never have been able to point that out." You get down on your hands and knees, peering into the undergrowth. The bush is thicker this time, creating even more of a cave like opening. "Hey, Dave, can I borrow your torch?" You hold a hand out behind you without looking back. Nothing happens. "Dave?" You turn around to find a masked man in all black holding a gun to Dave's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddamn gorse bushes man.


	3. Lost in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks to alixcharmed for her lovely comment which motivated me to get this chapter up quickly!

"Wha-?"  
"Stand up." You stare at him in shock, debating whether you can reach your gun. "I said, stand up, little dragonfly." You cautiously climb to your feet, hands splayed in front of you. "You're going to do everything I say, or Dave here dies."  
"Alright. I'll do as you ask."  
"Take out your badge and gun." You do as he asks and hold them out in front of you. "Now place them into the bush there, nice and neatly." You put them down gently. "Walk back to the road." He waits until you begin walking to follow. You keep running through all of the possibilities in your mind but can't see any way out of this. The team isn't expecting you back... You get to the road and see a big black SUV parked beside the ranger's vehicle, identical to the ones the team always use.   
"Get in the trunk." You hesitate. This guy is smart. He knows Dave is much less likely to try anything, he's not trained for this kind of thing. He doesn't even have police training. "Do it." He holds the gun closer to Dave. You come to the conclusion that there is no option other than to do as he asks. So you move round to the back, opening it and climbing in and curling up. "I know you don't like cages, little dragonfly but you'll just have to bear with me here." He shuts the door forcefully.   
You've only been there for a few seconds when gas begins seeping in. You put your shirt over your mouth and nose despite knowing it will do you little good. You desperately fight the darkness seeping in to your vision, but your eyes drift closed anyway.  
The first thing you register as you drag yourself to consciousness is cold. Your body is almost painfully cold. You manage to crack open your eyes but your vision is blurred. Trying to sit up, you discover that your hands and feet are bound to a metal table, like the ones you find in morgues. You also notice you've been stripped down to your underwear. The room appears to be some kind of a walk in freezer. Between that and the metal table it explains just how cold you are. You can feel panic rising in your chest but push it down forcefully. Anything other than a clear head right now is going to get you killed. Instead you focus on your breathing and carefully test out the strength of the bindings. They're tight, the knots are good. That makes sense, he's had six women to practice on. No, thinking about that right now is a horrible idea. The team will find you. Of course they will.  
You hear a groan somewhere to your left. You move your head to the side to see Dave tied to a chair about a meter away.   
"Dave?" You try to call out to him but it comes out as more of a croak. Before he has a chance to answer a door opens. Footsteps sound and suddenly a hand is in your hair, stroking gently.  
"Princess Aleria, you're awake." You try to flinch away but there's nowhere to go. "I knew you'd come. Your kingdom never could resist a place in distress. Do you know who I am?" He runs his fingertips across the scars littering your body.  
You grit your teeth and reply. "You're the warlock."   
"That's right beautiful." You just lie still, trying not to cry as he runs his hands all over you. "You really are you know. The prettiest girl in all the land. Your scars only serve to enhance that." He withdraws for a moment before returning with electrodes, sticking them all across your torso. "I need to perform the spell, to turn you into what you were always meant to be. Of course, Prince Skarion will need proof, your kingdom has not yet noticed your absence. Smile for the camera, little dragonfly." He leans away and flicks a switch and more pain than you have ever experienced begins coursing through your body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh drama.


	4. Bad News

"We'll need (L/N)'s opinion on this." Hotch declares, looking at the suspect pool.   
"Where is she any way?" Morgan asks, looking around.  
"She went to look at the dump sites with one of the park rangers but that was hours ago..." Reid trails off, looking out the window at the evening light.   
"Has anyone heard from her since then?" They all look to each other and when no one answers Spencer pulls out his phone. He dialled your number and hit speaker. Everyone stares holes into the phone until it rings out. "She isn't picking up."  
"Maybe she doesn't have signal in the woods." Prentiss suggests.  
"Get Garcia to find her phone." Hotch orders  
"On it." Morgan pulls out his own phone. "Alright baby girl, We need your help."  
"You came to the right place darlin'" Garcia chirps.  
"We need you to ping (L/N)'s phone."  
"Is everything alright?"  
"We aren't sure, she isn't answering."   
"Alright... Her GPS is turned off."  
"What?" Everyone freezes. "You sure?"  
"Yeah, yeah. I... hang on."  
"What is it?"  
"I just got an email from her. Opening now." The room is still, silent, tense.  
"Oh God." Garcia sounds almost in tears.  
"What? What is it?" Reid steps forward, panicked.  
"No. No. This can't be... no... oh god."   
"Garcia. We need to know now." Rossi barks.  
"Look at the laptop." Everyone crowds around to get a view of the screen and a video file appears and Spencer hits play. Immediately, screams blare out of the speakers. Everyone watches in horror as you scream and writhe on the screen. It stops as abruptly as it began and cuts to close up footage of you, and a voice over.   
"Prince Skarion. You have seven hours to find your dragonfly. You and you alone have the power to find her. If anyone else is involved I will be forced to kill her." The screen goes black. The silence in the room is almost tangible  
"Prince? What is he talking about?" Morgan looks around to the others.  
Spencer can't tear his eyes away from the screen despite it being blank. "I think he's talking to me." He turns to the team, eyes wide.  
"You can't know that, he's delusional Spence." JJ puts a hand on his shoulder. Spencer stands, moving over to the table and rifling through the papers. "No, it's something (Y/N) was talking about earlier. A story from her childhood. The princess was kidnapped by a warlock and the prince, her true love, was the only one clever enough to solve the riddle to find her and save her. I think this story is a big part of his delusion."  
"Really? How do you think?"  
"He believes himself to be the warlock, me the prince and she's the princess. Garcia you still there?"  
"Right here."  
"Did you manage to find a copy of the dragonfly princess?"  
"It's a very rare book, only a few copies were ever produced. But I managed to find one about an hour away from you guys. Sending you the address now."  
"Good work Garcia." Morgan smiles slightly at the phone. Spencer is already half way out the door. Rossi hurries to follow him.  
"I'll keep an eye on him."


	5. Primal Fear

You pull at your bindings weakly. "Dave?" Your voice is hoarse from all the screaming. "Dave!" He groans and moves his head. The Unsub must have drugged him as well. He slowly lifts his head a little and squints at you.   
"Agent?"   
"Yeah, I'm here."  
"I'm so sorry."   
"It wasn't your fault, how could you possibly have known? You aren't trained for this kind of thing." Your breath catches and you start coughing. It takes a few moments for you to steady out your breathing enough that you can speak again. "What we need to focus on for the moment is getting us both out alive."  
"Yeah. Alright, what can we do?"   
"For now, we play along with his fantasy, breaking it will make him panic, get us killed."  
"What?"  
"Just do as he asks. My team will already be working on finding us. We are going to get out of here, if we're smart about it."  
"Alright. Alright play along. I can do that."   
"Good. Now-"  
The door clangs open, cutting you off.  
"Prince Skarion has the message. He should find you. But first..." He flicks the machine on again, laughing as you scream.

"How much time do we have?" Prentiss asks nervously.  
"One hour." Spencer answers without looking up. They had returned bookless, but Spencer had already read the entire book while being watched carefully by a cautious owner. He knew it word for word and was going over them in his head yet again, staring at the letters found on the bodies. He was the most agitated of any them. He grabbed a pen and walked over to the white board. Using the clues in the story, he began rearranging the letters. Prentiss watched helplessly, desperate to do something to help, but well aware she would be no help at all when Spencer was doing something like this. She was smart, sure but this kid was on a whole other level.

You've been drifting in an out of consciousness for hours. There are periods of pain and some without. At one point you woke up to find the Unsub drawing carefully on your legs then... then he violated you in a way you never wanted to think of ever again, you fought him viciously every step of the way but he was too strong, and the bindings too tight. You just blocked it out as best you could. The next time you woke up he was gone. You think you spoke to Dave for a little while but the memory is fuzzy. He comes back holding your phone. "Looks like your time is almost up. I think it's time to give him your message darling. Remember what I told you. You have to tell him or this time I'll be hurting your friend here." It takes a moment but you managed to recover the memory. You nod, unshed tears in your eyes. You can't tell his expression behind the mask but you get the impression he's smiling at you. He brings out your phone and carefully dials Spencer, putting it on speaker.

"She's calling me!" Spencer rushes to where the whole team can gather around. He answers the call. "(Y/N)?"

"Spence?" Your voice comes out weaker than you wanted it to.  
"(Y/N)! The team is here, just try to do as he asks, buy time, we've almost found you."  
"Alright."  
"Come now, you know what you need to say." The Unsub says in an almost singsong voice.  
"It's alright (Y/N)." Spencer's slightly tinny voice is still a great comfort to you.   
"Spence I... I love you." You hear his sharp intake of breath.  
"I love you too (N/N)." The Unsub takes the phone away.   
"I knew it. Well, your time is officially up, but I do so love a happy ending. I'll give you an extension. But, of course there must be a punishment." You can't hear the reply. The Unsub pulls out a gun from inside his jacket. You struggle desperately against the bonds.   
"No! Please!" You scream.

The screams echo from the phone and tension ripples through the room. Then a single gun shot, and the line goes dead.


	6. Time

Spencer stares at the phone, motionless with fury. His fists are clenched. "I'm going to make him pay. We have to find him." The team just watches in stunned silence, unsure of how to react to this new side of Reid. He paces up and down like a caged tiger, every line of his body tensed. He shoves a hand through his hair, desperately trying running through the clues as to where you are.  
"Reid." Morgan says in a placatory tone. He just keeps pacing. "Reid!" He stops. "We are going to find her."  
"I know that. But what if we don't make it in time?"

"Dave!" He's gone. Dead. You clench your eyes shut and turn your head away. He was younger than you. New to the job. He was terrified. Now, he was dead because of you. The Unsub drops the phone onto the table, leaving the room. Your entire body is shaking. Whether it's from shock or the cold is anyone's guess.

You twist your hand painfully against the restraints. You've been at this for what seems to be almost hours. Time has been slipping away. Finally, the restraint seems to slip a little and you just about manage to touch the phone. Thanking all available deities for speed dial, you call Spencer. He picks up straight away.  
"(Y/N)?" He sounds desperate. The first time you try to speak the words stick in your throat and you cough.   
"I'm here, but..."  
"What is it? What did he do?"  
"The ranger that was with me... He's dead."  
"I'm so sorry (N/N). We think we've worked out where you are, we're on our way."  
You huff a little laugh. "I knew you'd do it. You really are the smartest in all the land." You launch into another coughing fit which racks your entire body.  
"Calm down (Y/N) just breathe, we're almost there."  
You begin drifting out of consciousness, eyes closing against your will. You're so very tired. Each word is more effort than the last.   
"Stay with me (Y/N)! Can you tell me what you see?"  
"I'm um..." Your brain begins to wander and you have to forcefully drag it back on course. "A uh.. It's a walk in freezer I think..." You wait a moment to even your breathing again. "I'm so cold." You whimper slightly.  
Spencer sounds like he's choking back tears. "I know. But you only have to wait a few more minutes. You need to stay awake."   
That wakes something up. Your mind is just a little more alert. "Awake. Yes. I shouldn't go to sleep."  
"That's right, don't go to sleep. I have to hang up now, we're almost there." The car screams to a stop and Spencer all but tumbles out. He looks up at the warehouse, there is thick black writing on the wall. 'Only the prince may enter hers, lest the princess be killed.' Spencer hurries forward before anyone can stop him and plunges into the cool dark of the warehouse.


	7. In Comes The Cavalry

The phone falls from your numb fingers and clatters back down onto the table. You wait, straining your ears for any sound of the cavalry. Your knight in shining armour. That makes you want to laugh but you recognise it's because you're close to being delirious. The door to the freezer begins to open and you wait with your heart in your throat, will it be the prince or the warlock? Then the door clangs all the way open and Spencer appears in your field of vision. His hands against the sides of your face almost seem to burn, so frozen is your skin. He kisses your forehead. "You're so cold." He holsters his gun and makes quick work of your restraints. You're half laughing, half crying as you sit up and he gathers you into his arms. He holds you for a little while before pulling away and stripping off his jacket so you can put it on. With it wrapped securely around you, he hugs you again for a few moments before he pulls you to the edge of the table. "Can you walk?"  
"I can try." He pulls you up, arm securely around your waist, keeping you upright and you lean gratefully into his warmth and support. You're shaky, but you're stronger than anyone thought. Spencer begins to lead you out, one arm around you, the other holding his gun to his side. You're both all too aware that the Unsub could be lurking around the corner. Together you hurry to the exit, allowing Spencer to guide the way. The open door pours light inside. You squint against the brightness, waiting for your eyes to adjust. The team is out there, guns trained on the door behind you in case the Unsub decides to make one last move against the two of you. As soon as you and Spencer run clear they begin going in to make a sweep of the building. An ambulance is waiting and JJ bundles you up in a blanket before Spencer sits with you as the EMT checks you over. You just stare blankly into space and comply with her gentle requests. Once she's finished the first round of checks, she looks at Spencer meaningfully. Of course, him being him he's completely oblivious, but luckily JJ notices and pulls him away to talk to the rest of the team. Once the pair of them have wandered off she lowers her voice.  
"Do I need to do a rape kit?"  
Your voice seems to have wandered off so you just nod, the tears you held back for so long threatening to spill over.   
"Alright. We'll take you to the hospital so we can get you thoroughly checked out."  
The hospital is the last place you want to be right now, but you seriously don't have the energy to argue.   
"Do you want me to get... uh Spencer? To come with you?"  
"Yes, please." You manage to croak.  
"You go lie on the gurney, I'll get him for you." Your muscles are stiff as all hell but you manage to climb up and lie down. Spencer gets in and sits on the bench, holding your hand in his. Your kindly EMT get in and shuts the doors behind her before the ambulance starts up and drives off.


	8. Safe in His Arms

The hospital is a blur of bright lights and pastel blue scrubs. You just try to get the whole thing over and done with as quickly as possible and eventually you're cleared to go. Being allergic to painkillers makes for dealing with pain on a regular basis. Spencer is quiet as he drives you back to the hotel. When you reach your room Spencer hesitates at the door, casting you an uncertain look.   
"I'll be alright." He nods and disappears into his room. Once inside your room you make a bee line for your go bag which had been dropped off previously. Pulling out your pyjamas, a tank to and shorts, you long for the long cosy winter pyjamas left hanging in your wardrobe back home. With no other option, you take off Spencer's jacket and pull them on slowly and painfully. For the first time you get a good look at the drawings carefully inked into your skin. It's an intricate design of dragonflies winding through tall grass. It would be beautiful if it weren't for... Suddenly you desperately want them off. Now. You lean down to try rubbing it off, but a spike of pain in your chest stops you and you cry out. Standing for a few moments, you consider your options. You want it off and are going to need help doing so, but Spencer is the only one back yet. Resigned to asking him, you put on a dressing gown and hurry across to Spencer's door, thankful that the corridor is empty. The door opens and Spencer looks at you in concern.  
"(Y/N) ?"  
"Hey, uh do you think you could give me a hand?"  
"Sure." He opens the door wider and you slip inside. He's also in pyjamas, hair mussed. Faced with actually asking him you seriously consider just leaving it where it is, but you simply can't do that.   
"I want to get the drawings off my legs but I can't bend over because it hurts my chest too much." Your dressing gown reaches your knees, hiding your thighs but exposing the designs winding down your shins. Of course, Spencer saw all of it when he first rescued you.   
"I uh yeah. But, uhm, would you mind if I took a look at them first though?"   
You would much rather he didn't see what the Unsub did to you at all but he'd seen it already and you understood he was curious and any opportunity to gather more info on serial killers was always appreciated by him. So, you nod at him and strip off your dressing gown, folding it neatly. Spencer goes cherry red as he realises the situation his curiosity has gotten the pair of you into.   
"Uhm, why don't you come and sit over here." He leads you by the hand over to the chest of drawers where he gives you a boost so you can sit on top of them. His hands linger on your waist for a few moments. When he realises, he retracts his hands as though burnt and avoids your eyes awkwardly. His adorableness helps to distract you from the situation. As he looks at the designs closer his awkwardness slowly disappears and his intellect takes over.  
"This is very interesting. See here, there's writing hidden in the design." He leans closer, fascinated. "I think it's encoded like the previous messages. I..." He glances up to your face as you stare patiently at him and seems to remember himself. "Could I perhaps take some pictures of this so I can decode it later?"  
You consider it for a moment. Whatever this guy has to say you really don't want to know, he'll be in prison soon, the team will have caught him. But there is always the possibility it could help in a future case so it's probably best someone knows. "Alright." You give him a weak smile.   
He grabs his phone and quickly takes the pictures he wants. Once done he gives you a little smile that makes your heart melt.   
"Thanks. Let's get that cleaned off now." You slide down off the chest of drawers and follow Spencer into the bathroom. He directs you to sit on the edge of the bath as he runs a flannel in warm water and pours a little body wash onto it. He comes over and pauses, hands hovering over your legs. "Ready?" You nod emphatically, more than ready to take the first step to putting these awful few days well and truly behind you. His touch is gentle but firm, making sure not to scrub at your skin. Luckily it comes off relatively easily, leaving only a shadow of an outline. For the first time you feel relaxed. Safe. Spencer tends to have that kind of effect on you.   
"I meant it" Spencer looks up from towelling down your legs.  
"What?" It's your turn to turn cherry red and you can't seem to look into his earnest eyes.   
"What I said. He... he made me say it, but it's something I should have said to you a long time ago." You wait, tensed for his reaction. He seems surprised for a moment, before smiling softly.   
"I said it back didn't I?" You meet his eyes and for once you don't mind crying because they're happy tears. He reaches out and pulls you to him, enveloping you in a hug. You're glad he didn't try to kiss you because you would have had to push him away, you couldn't kiss anyone so soon after what you'd been through. Then he slips a hand underneath your knees and lifts you up, bridal style. He carries you out into the bedroom and places you gently onto the bed, before crawling in beside you and bringing the duvet up around you both. Two of you curl up, just holding each other. In his arms, the nightmares of waking don't invade your sleep.


	9. Quiet Morning

When you wake up, Spencer is stood looking out of the window talking quietly on the phone . You get up and put on your dressing gown before making the bed, more for something to do than anything else. You have to be very careful to make sure you don't strain your chest. Eventually he hangs up and his expression is grim. Your heart hammers in your chest.  
"What is it? Is everything alright?"  
"That was Hotch. The Unsub... he got away." You feel as though you might faint.  
"What?"  
"They couldn't find him." You sit down heavily on the bed. You'd convinced yourself that the team would find him and make him pay for what he did. They always did. It was what had been keeping you sane. The idea that he was still out there somewhere paralysed you. Spencer looks at a complete loss as to what he should do or say. You knew he wanted this guy found almost as much as you did.  
"Everyone's meeting in the lobby in an hour. We're going home, there's nothing left to do here." He says softly. Home sounds really good right about now.  
"I'd better go get my things then."  
"Would you like me to come with?"  
"No that's alright."  
"Ok." He looks worried. "Get me if you need anything. Anything at all."  
You nod distractedly and put on your dressing gown before walking across to your room. The first thing you do is get changed out of your pyjamas. You take a look in the mirror and have to do a double take. You look... fine. Same as always, the usual scars. There's no outward evidence whatsoever of what you've been through these past few days.. It's unnerving. Not even a bruise. It feels wrong some how, that such an ordeal should leave behind so little evidence. Of course, your chest is a mess of blue and purple, but still. Seeing your face seem so normal is almost... Unnerving.  
An hour passes by in a flash of packing and staring blankly at the door as if at any second it will open and the Unsub will be there. You can't get the image of that black mask out of your head, or Dave's terrified whimpers and the sound of the gunshot which silenced him one and for all. There's a knock on the door and for a moment your fear addled brain believes it really is him, but then Spencer's voice breaks through your panic.  
"(Y/N)?" You hurry over to the door and open it. "Almost ready?" He's stood with his go bag slung over his shoulder.  
"Yeah." Putting your bag onto your shoulder very nearly makes you collapse in pain. Those electrodes really did a number on your chest. Before you know it Spencer is there, taking your bag despite your protests. You press a hand to your chest which relieves the pain a little. He looks more awkward than usual under the weight of two bags, and you wish he didn't have to do this for you. It makes you feel conflicted, on one hand it makes you feel useless but on the other you're hugely grateful to him for being there for you when you need it the most. You take the lift down to the lobby and see the others grouped together across the room, more towards the door. They don't notice you until you have almost reached them and they all turn to smile you. Luckily, in their faces you see only sympathy, not pity. You may have burst into tears there and then if they'd pitied you. Prentiss, JJ and Morgan each give you a hug and Rossi claps a hand to your shoulder.  
"I'm sorry we didn't find him (Y/N), but we will. He will pay for what he has done." Hotch assures you seriously in place of a greeting. You nod gratefully to each of them.  
"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm ready to go home." You give a grin which isn't entirely faked. They all seem very relieved to see you smile.  
"Yeah. Jet's waiting." Morgan leads the way outside. You all pile into two SUV's and, to your credit, you only hesitate for a second. The flight home seems to last forever. It's quiet apart from Morgan's anguished cries as Prentiss and Reid beat him at cards. You curl up in a chair at the end, a little apart from the others and stare out of the window, resting your head on your knees. Rossi comes to sit in the chair opposite you.  
"How you holding up?"  
"I don't really know."  
"Well you can't expect to just be alright after something like that."  
"But that's the thing, I am alright. The idea that he's still out there somewhere is absolutely paralysing but... other than that."  
"You haven't had time to process it completely yet."  
"No, I suppose I haven't."  
"Just... Just give yourself time. You'll be okay." You give him a small wry smile.  
"Thanks."  
When you get back into the office you are immediately assaulted by a hysterical Penelope. She grabs you into a hug, careful of your chest. Morgan must have warned her beforehand.  
"I was so worried about you! When I saw that video I just couldn't..."  
"It's alright. I'm okay." She looks like she's about to burst into tears.  
"Don't do anything like that to me ever again! I can't deal with it when people hurt my family."  
You give her a smile of genuine happiness. Garcia always seems to be able to make you smile, and you always enjoyed it when anyone called the team a family. You didn't have a biological family but the team was a better family than any you could ever wish for. "I'll try my best not to."  
"Promise?"  
"Yeah. Promise." Garcia beams at you. You look around at the whole team and you know that it's going to be okay. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but you'll be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of part one, but don't worry, there's more to come!


	10. Paralysing Fear

"Where's Reid?" Rossi asks, descending the stairs to the bullpen. Everyone automatically looks to you. Somewhere along the way in the months following your kidnapping, you and Spencer had started dating. He'd helped to keep you sane and you had done the same for him. This job was difficult but having someone who understood helped a lot. Everyone knew about the relationship but you were careful not to let it impact your work so they didn't mind. Hotch made sure to give sufficiently disapproving looks if ever you were too open about it.  
"He's finished with his paper work so he went home." Rossi frowns.  
"Without you?"   
"He's making dinner." Garcia, who had been studiously pretending not to eavesdrop, squeals in delight.   
"That's so sweet!" You laugh.  
"Yeah well, you've never had his cooking."  
"He can't cook?" Morgan is suddenly interested.  
"Nope. It's adorable actually, he follows the recipes to the letter but it never seems to work out properly. He gets really flustered." Derek gets a mischievous glint in his eyes and you suddenly realise that revealing that particular piece of information may have been something akin to a mistake. You'll have to warn Spence about that later.  
"Anyway, why were you looking for him?"  
"I just wanted him to take a look over this." He gestures to the file in his hand.   
"Well I could take it to him if you'd like. It won't take him a minute to read through. Literally."   
"If you're sure it's no trouble."  
"None at all." You give him a grin and take the file, tucking it securely away in your bag. "Alright then. Night all, I'm off." They all give their various goodbyes and you wander out of the building. You call Spencer to check whether things have gone so badly wrong that you need to grab something on your way over. It rings out after a couple minutes. It's unusual that he doesn't answer but not unheard of. Resigned to eating whatever he's managed to make, you hop on the metro and ride over to his apartment. Once there, you go to knock, before remembering the key he recently gifted to you. Unlocking the door, you call out.  
"Spence?" There's no answer. The apartment is completely silent, no smell of food, burning or otherwise. Something is very wrong. Spencer knows you too well to try surprising you and vice versa, being a couple of FBI agents carrying guns make surprise parties a horrible idea. Taking out said gun and, holding it low, make a sweep of the apartment. The last room you reach is the bedroom, also the only fully closed door. You take a few calming breaths and open the door. Quickly, you clear the room and then check the closet for good measure. Hanging in the middle of the room over the bed is a glass mobile which is rotating slowly. It's a dragonfly, created from shards of glass, greens and whites. A single piece of yellow glass hovers above inky black eyes, creating a crown of sorts. Directly beneath the mobile is... You pick up the copy of The Dragonfly Princess, praying it isn't what you think. Opening the front cover, you find... Your name. In your loopy 5 year old handwriting. You lost this years ago. Had the Unsub really had it all this time? That meant it was your fault. He hadn't added you to his delusion, you were the start of it. He's targeting Spencer because of you. Then your phone begins to ring, it's Spencer's phone. You stare at it motionlessly for a moment before hitting answer.  
"Spencer?"  
"The prince is sleeping." That voice. It still haunted your nightmares.   
"Don't hurt him. I'll do what you want." There's silence on the other side. "Please. Let me talk to Spencer."  
"Who?"  
"The Prince."   
"Ah yes of course." There's muffled movement in the background.  
"I'm here. I'm alright." You gasp at the sound of his voice though before you can reply the Unsub takes the phone back.   
"You have to come find us. It's your quest this time Princess. Hurry up. You don't have much time." He hangs up. You slip your phone back into your pocket and stare down at the book in your hands. This whole thing has been centred around you so far so it makes sense that this location would mean something to you. Everything has been carefully thought out. Then it hits you. The abandoned glass warehouse on the edge of the city where you used to hide out and read. Sprinting out of the apartment, you drop the book to the floor and slam the front door shut. You fly down the stairs, so quickly you feel as though you might fall. You get back on the metro and although sitting still makes you twitchy, you know it will be faster than running. Staring at your phone, you watch the seconds tick by, ready to dial Hotch the second you get signal. You're not waiting for back up, but you're not so stupid as to go in without telling anyone where you're going. You dial him the second you step out into the evening air.  
"(L/N)?"  
"He's back. He's got Spencer."  
"Where?"  
"Holden's warehouse on the edge of the city."  
"Wait for us to get there."  
"I can't." There's a terse silence. Hotch knows there's no way you'll wait.  
"Be careful." You hang up as you reach the warehouse. Pulling out your gun, you open the warehouse door.


	11. This Ends Here

The place is an absolute maze of disused machines, but you're feet take you on the familiar path you found as a child. Eventually you reach the door to the office. You listen outside for a few moments but nothing. Pushing open the door, you find Spencer taped to a chair. There's blood dripping down the side of his face from a cut above his left eyebrow but other than that you can't see any outward signs of injury. You run to him and carefully peel the tape from his mouth.  
"Where is he?" Spencer shakes his head.   
"I don't know. I haven't seen him since the phone call." You nod and go to free him when suddenly there is a crash from somewhere. Gun back up, you go to the door and look out. Despite being unable to see anything, you know he's out there somewhere. You can't free Spencer until you know there's no possibility of him surprising you. You step out into the warehouse deaf to Spencer's desperate whispered protests. This ends now. You follow the sounds, all senses on high alert. He's drawing you to him.  
Suddenly, he launches himself at you out of the darkness. You manage to get a shot off and it hits him though you can't be sure where. He collides with you, knocking both of you backwards. His fist connects with your eyes and you only just manage to keep your head from hitting the concrete floor. You head butt him, breaking his nose but he still manages to pin you down using his larger weight. Pain doesn't seem to affect him. Your gun slipped out of your hand as you hit the floor. He leans over you menacingly, blood dripping down onto you. For the first time you see his face and you recognise it but don't have the time to delve into your memory and find out why.   
"Hello little dragonfly." You squirm desperately against him but it's no use. His meaty hands find their way around your neck tightening slowly. Your air supply is being cut off and you scrabble desperately for your gun. Eventually your fingers close around cold metal. A pipe. Not your gun but... You swing it with all the force you can muster at his head. It connects and he rolls off you, reeling from the blow. You scramble to your feet and he manages to slam you face first into one of the machines. Throwing him off, you whip round and manage to scoop up your gun as he stagger back. He charges you as you level your gun at his face and pull the trigger.   
Everything seems very silent. You lie there for a few moments before gathering the resolve to push the body off you. You're absolutely caked in blood, you can't imagine what you must look like right now. Dragging yourself to your feet, you walk quickly back to the office. Spencer's eyes widen in shock as he takes in your appearance.  
"(Y/N)!" He struggles desperately against the tape.   
"Not my blood." You dig in your pocket for your Swiss army knife and use it to cut the tape. It takes a few tries as your hands are shaking with adrenaline. He gets up and takes a good look at you.  
"You're hurt!"   
"What?" You look to where he's pointing to find a shard of glass sticking out of your abdomen. You hadn't even felt it. "Oh." You suddenly feel very drained.  
"We've got to get you to a hospital." Spencer puts your arm over his shoulders and a hand around your waist so he can help support you out. You have to guide the way through the machinery tiredly and when you get outside, no one's there.   
"Hotch is on his way."   
"Alright just try to stay awake." You can hear distant sirens.  
"This is all my fault Spence."  
"No."  
"I knew him. I don't remember why." The sirens are closer now.  
"The only one to blame is him. You couldn't have done anything to stop him fixating on you." You manage to nod weakly. Your vision is beginning to fade even as the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles appear. It slowly fades to black.


	12. Find The Light

You begin to slide back into consciousness to the steady beep of a heart monitor. Opening your eyes hurts, but it fades after a moment. When you can see, you look around the softly lit hospital room. Spencer is slumped in a chair, asleep, one hand holding yours. There's a bandage above his left eye. A nurse comes in.   
"You're awake." She gives you a smile. You're grateful she keeps her voice down so she doesn't wake Spencer, he looks exhausted. The bags under his eyes are even more pronounced than usual. "How are you feeling?"  
"Sore."  
She huffs a little laugh. "I can imagine. You went through a lot." She checks your vitals, and seemingly satisfied, she gestures to the door. "There's an Agent Hotchner waiting outside, would you like me to send him in?"  
"Yes, please." She disappears for a moment, before reappearing with Hotch following close behind. Then she leaves you to it, shutting the door behind her. Hotch looks at you, the concern behind his eyes betraying his trademark emotionless face.   
"I'm glad you're alright. The wound from the glass was superficial, so the doctors say you can go home pretty soon."  
"Good. I hate hospitals. What time is it?"  
"Just after three. AM that is."  
"Does the rest of the team know what happened?"  
"No, let them sleep. They can find out in the morning." You think about how the team will react. "Oh, Garcia is going to kill me!" That gets a hint of a smile out of him, though he seems very tired. "Have you slept?"  
"No, not yet."  
"Then go home and get some. Even the great Aaron Hotchner must rest some time."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow. I've got Spencer here and though I would send him home too if I could, that's never going to happen, so someone should be getting some actual sleep."  
"You always think of others first. even when you're the one injured." You aren't quite sure how to reply to that. "Alright well, I'll see you in the morning. I can't stop you coming in for a bit, but I can stop you from doing any work whatsoever."  
"Aye aye captain." He pats your free hand before leaving.  
A little while later Spencer startles awake and looks around wildly in panic, before realising where he is and relaxing back into the chair.   
"Nightmare?"  
"Yeah." He rubs his eyes. "Hey you're awake!"  
"You know, for a genius you aren't massively observant."  
"How are you feeling?"  
"I'm alright. I'm just glad he didn't hurt you." He stares at you incredulously.  
"Me? You got stabbed!" You give a little shrug.  
"I have a high pain threshold." He shakes his head.   
"You are absolutely ridiculous, you know that?"  
"Yeah. You love it!" He laughs before stroking your hair and placing a kiss on his forehead.  
"Yes, I do. Now try to get some sleep so the doctors will let you go home." You scoot over and pat the bed beside you.  
"I will if you will." He stares at you for a few seconds before rolling his eyes and clambering up onto the bed. He kisses you passionately and you immediately respond, both trying to convey the love that words fail to describe. You almost lost each other just hours ago, no one is going to be able to separate the two of you for anything right now. You sit for a few minutes, foreheads together, just drinking in the relief of being together. Then, he carefully curls up to you, cautious of your injuries. You fall asleep to Spencer's steady breathing, wondering what you did in a past life to deserve so much love from this wonderful man.

It's almost 10 by the time Hotch reaches the office. Morgan smirks at him.  
"Late night?" Hotch just gives him a grim look.  
"Yes. I need everyone in the round table room ASAP. Someone get Garcia as well."  
"New case?"  
"Not quite."  
Once everyone is assembled, Hotch gets up to stand in front of the screen. Garcia looks around. "Where's wonder boy and (Y/N)? Aren't we going to wait for them?" Morgan smirks.   
"Looks like they also had a late night."  
"They did. They're at the hospital."  
"What? What happened?" Everyone stares at him, shocked. Morgan is already half way out of his chair.  
"Sit down. They're both alright, let me start from the beginning." They all sit back down, though they're still tensed. "I got a call late last night from (L/N)." 

Minutes later, you step into the bull pen.   
"Where is everyone?" Spencer points up to the round table room.  
"Looks like they're in there." You can just about see them through the blinds.   
"Let's go up there and say hi." Spencer leads the way up the short flight of stairs your hand clasped tightly in his. Hotch's voice trails off as he realises all eyes are focused on the doorway behind him. You step into the room and Morgan is the first to react.  
"You look like hell." You snort.  
"You should see the other guy." His eyes flicker involuntarily to the screen behind you. Turning, you find the crime scene photos from the warehouse. His face is completely mangled, from both the pipe and the gun. JJ comes to stand at your shoulder.   
"You really did a number on him. There isn't enough for facial recognition."  
"He messed with the wrong girl." That's Prentiss from somewhere close by.  
"We're running his fingerprints now."   
"No need. I know him." Even Spencer is shocked into silence. "His name is Harold Foreman. He worked at my local library. I spent more time there than I did at home. I... I trusted him. He-" Your voice chokes off and you hang your head."  
"(N/N)..." Spencer puts his hands either side of your face, lifting in gently to look at him. "It's alright. He's gone. He will never hurt you again." You nod and look around at the team, unshed tears in your eyes.  
"Group hug?" You ask weakly. They all crowd in, surrounding you in safety. The world can be a dark place, and this line of work exposes the very worst of it. But in the darkness, the smallest light makes all the difference.


End file.
